Vehicle range-based lane change assist system and method

摘要

A lane change assist system (20) and method (80) are provided for assisting the driver of the vehicle in maneuvering a lane change. The system (20) includes a range sensor (24) mounted on a vehicle (10) for sensing range to an object (42) in a side detection zone (34) adjacent to one side of the vehicle (10). The system (20) also includes a controller (40) for determining when the side detection zone (34) is clear for the vehicle (10) to change lanes based on the sensed range signal. The controller (40) determines whether there is sufficient space to initial a lane change maneuver based on the sensed range signal and generates an output signal indicative thereof. An output is provided to warning lights (26, 28) indicative of the determined state for initiating the lane change maneuver.